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Waterfox: Enjoy…
“This is wrong! Horribly wrong! I…I mean I am not suppose to be in this class.” She was going to be on the verge of tears any minute; the registrar sitting behind the desk readied her hand with a box of tissues if necessary.
“Emeredae, please, calm down and we shall have this all figured out.” The registrar stood, taking the box with her and handing it to the girl. Just in time, for a tear fell down her cheek and landed on the printed class schedule in her hand. The black ink smeared, making the hours of her third class unknowledgeable.
“I…I tried. I made sure my schedule was sent in early and I had this all planned out…they assured me that it would be first come first serve….but I get stuck…this is messing up everything!” Her sentence finished as she blew her nose into a tissue.
The registrar sighed, for she had never seen Emeredae Niade like this before. She had only known the girl to be a model student full of grace and poise even if she was a bit quiet and reserved. “Here, Emeredae let me have a look at this.” Gently she pulled the paper from the girl’s hand. “And I’ll see what I can do.” The girl nodded, her dark head of curls bouncing as she did.
Sitting down and pulling herself up to her computer, the sound of the registrars fingers flying over the keyboard grew as she spoke. “So, Emeredae tell me what is wrong. Did one of the teachers upset you or what?”
“No…it just that I was not supposed to be in Home Economics for sixth period. I specially put down Advanced Drama, and I made sure that the teacher signed for my placement in the class. I…even missed fifth period, history, to come here.”
“Alright, I see. Well…” On the computer, the registrar pulled up the schedule of classes and brought up the drama department. Unfortunate all the classes in the drama department, seeing as drama was a popular subject at Syone Preparatory Academy, were full. “Currently the classes are full and there is nothing I can do for you now.”
“But how,” Emeredae blurted, “I was supposed to have a spot!” She had dropped the tissue, both hands pointing at her chest, her neck strained slightly forward to put an emphasis on her words. “
The registrar was slightly perplexed by the girl now, for she had never seen her like this in all the three years Emeredae had been a student and was now embarking on her senior year.
“Ms. Maida, please, tell me this is going to be a simple problem that will be fixed quickly. Maybe even in a couple of minutes. Sixth period starts in ten minutes and I really do not want to go to…”
“Emeredae, I told you there is nothing I can do for you now. I can try, but like you, there are at least a hundred other students who would like schedule changes. It is always like this at the beginning of the year, but be happy that you are a senior since we consider your class first.” The registrar gave her a small wink. “And don’t worry we will get into your class.”
“How long do you think it might be though?”
“A week and a half at least…”
“A week and a half! They might have already caste parts by then. What if I talked to the teacher?”
“You might be able to do that, and they could let you into their class, but until the changes can be made on the computer, nothing can be done.” Mailda looked at her watch. “Now, you have seven minutes until sixth period. For now you will have to go.”
Already her perfect year was getting off to a horrible start, not only in her classes, but also at home. The night before she had left her lights on and that morning her car battery was dead. Instead, she had to take the bus since she woke up to late to take a ride with her parents. Emeredae was not above riding the bus as were many at Syone Preparatory Academy, but was annoyed when she fell asleep and missed her stop. It took her a good hour to return to school, just enough time to pick her schedule from the registrar, and as the bell for first period rang, saw that it was incorrect. Moreover, to top this all of, she had forgotten to put on deodorant! This summer, because she had gone on vacation back to Asolin, she had not been able to come in early and get her schedule; she thought it would be all right to pick it up on the first day of school. Had she known this would have occurred, Emeredae would have traveled back early and had this issue settled during the summer.A groan escaped her lips and she sat up in the chair. “Fine…fine…and I’m sorry.” She wiped her eyes with a new tissue, pulling out a mirror to see if they were red, luckily they were not. “Forgive me, Ms. Maida, I usually do not act like this, but it has already been a long day for me.”
Ms. Maida smiled. “Yes, Emeredae, don’t worry all will be fine. You know Home Economics is not such a bad class. In fact, I hear that is pretty fun. You get to cook, sew, and take care of children…”
“Eh…that sounds just…horrible. I don’t like to sew, or cook when I don’t have to and children….I don’t like em’.”
The registrar only laughed at this and handed her back her schedule. “Now off with you. I’m sure you can hold out for a week.”
The few others standing outside were not in school uniform, but dressed in another, the uniform school’s military program, JROTL, Junior Reserve Officer Training Legion. Their uniforms looked almost the same as the required school uniforms, except for a few minor changes. Their blazers were buttoned shut and ironed to crisp precise lines without wrinkles or lint. Their pants were shown the same care of maintenance as their blazers; again the lines were crisp and showed no signs of untidiness. It was almost unbelievable. Elsewhere various insignia, pens, and cords adorned the blazers of each cadet, which indicated their rank or position. Even after three years and with at least a forth of the school in the program, she still did not understand what half of the colorful pins or cords meant. The only way she could ever tell the cadets apart were by the hats they wore. Officers wore the larger dress hats whilst the enlisted wore simple beige caps. Both the officers and the enlisted wore berets from time to time, and then Emeredae found herself looking at their blazers to see how many pins or cords covered them. More usually meant higher rank and upper classmen as less meant lower classman and lower rank. However, she did not associate herself with ones in the JLTOC program often; they had an arrogant air that she did not like about them. She believed that they thought better of themselves.
“Emeredae, Wait!” A voice called.
The girl paused and looked over her shoulder. Coming from a door two doors away from 314A was a boy with long dark hair, almost down his back and tied into a braid. She could see him smiling from down the hall, evidence of a mustache growing above his fine shaped lips. His school uniform was immaculately neat and ironed to a crisp. The uniform did not seem to move as he walked, but on the other hand hampered his walk because it was so stiff. Maybe that imagination playing tricks on her; however, he did walk with a slight limp. The polished wooden cane in his right hand was evidence of the slight leg disorder.
“Good Afternoon, I haven’t seen you since yesterday. I tell you it has been far too long.” He said with another smile once he had approached. Behind them the hall had gone quiet as all eyes were on the newcomer. Emeredae could have sworn she heard a few hearts begin to flutter faster as Aroe approached. There he was Aroe Kisonde, student body president and resident pretty boy of Syone Preparatory. However, Emeredae only saw him as the annoying little boy who used to pull her pigtails back in elementary school, when they both were still in Asolin. Also, she knew him as the idiot who felt like chasing a squirrel down a steep hill on a school camping trip in middle school. The fall caused him to break his leg in four places. He was out of school for three weeks and the cast stayed on for at least four months. In the end his bones repair themselves, but not to their original state, leaving him stiff and with his current limp. She believed that the fall also knocked some since into him, for he was a very well mannered and refined young man afterward.
Emeredae could not help but smile back, it was infectious. “As to you, Aroe, you are looking well this morning.” The boy’s violet eyes sparked with her comment. In return, he took her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it softly.
“Thank you. So, how are you classes going…?”
She grunted. “Please, don’t ask.”
“Ah, not well I see. Fine, I won’t as, just escort you as we head over to the drama instead.” Like her, Aroe had applied and been accepted for Advanced Dramatics. He was quiet good, having gotten the lead part in the school play the last year.
“I won’t be going with you.”
“Huh?” He raised an eyebrow. “And why is that…”
A frown set on her face. “I won’t be there, yet. They didn’t place me in drama they gave me Home Economics!”
“They did?” He looked shocked. “But how? You had the teacher sign off and everything, there should be no mistake and did you…”
“Yes, I talked to them. Ms. Maida said it might be two weeks before I can join the class. By then who knows what I might be stepping into. They might have already caste parts for the play…and I’ll be left to be a…an…extra….”
Aroe placed a hand on her shoulder, “Emeredae, please, don’t be so hard. You’ll see that everything will turn out fine and you’ll be in the class before you know it.” He was interrupted by the sound of the bell. The end of fifth period, and now the entire school only had six minutes to move to their next class. Aroe pulled Emeredae off to the side, to avoid being trampled by the mass throng of students.
“Aroe, but what if…”
He covered her mouth with a finger. “Ah, don’t say another word. Now, I want you to go in there and make the best two weeks you can in Home Ec, and if you are lucky they’ll teach you how to cook. I hear Ms. Adela is a wonderful teacher. In fact Home Ec is a pretty popular class.”
“Ha, I doubt that. They are just going to try and teacher me to be a housewife….”
“Emeredae.”
“Aroe?”
“It is just two weeks. If even that long, what is the worst that could happen?”
She gave a sigh. “Yeah, ok. Umm….just one last thing?”
“Yes?”
“Can I have a ride home, my car died?”
“How…I’ll guess you can save that story for later on. Meet me at my car then, it is the back corner of the student parking lot.” With a final smile he left.
Emeredae turned her head toward her. “Excuse me?” There sitting at the desk next to her was indeed a JROTL member, an officer as well by the look of her rounded dress hat. There were two colored cords around her shoulders and many pens on her blazer. She would have been an attractive girl if she had not looked so stern. Her flaming red hair had been pulled back into a tight bun, which highlighted her high cheek bones on her already sun kissed face.
“Aroe Kisonde, is he your boyfriend?” The girl leaned in closer, her hazel tinted eyes staring into Emeredae’s own crushed coffee bean brown ones.
“No…but...” She was absolute baffled by the girl, and a bit scared.
The girl grinned. “Really, well that is surprising. Are you sure you aren’t lying to me?”
“Why…would I lie?”
“I don’t know, because you don’t want anyone to know you are dating Aroe. That’s it isn’t it?”
Emeredae shook her head and returned to information on the board. “Excuse me, but what business do you have asking me this?”
“I’m just curious. So are you going to answer me?”
“I think the answer was obvious.”
The girl frowned slightly, taking off her cap and setting it on the table. “A yes or no answer would do fine.”
“What the heck does it matter if I am dating him?” She looked at the girl once again and then saw another girl sitting on the other side of the one talking to her, dressed in the same dark crème uniform, blushing and staring at her notebook. Ah, so now she understood. This girl was simply trying to find out information for her friend.
“It matters to me, so yes or no.”
She shrugged, “Possibly.”
“That isn’t a yes or a no.” The girl, Emeredae suspected, was probably used to people giving her a straight answer, but she wasn’t going to get one today. To be honest she did not like too many that walked around in a JROTL uniform, and if she could she gave them a hard time, like now. She had seen his girl around before. Usually sitting at what she called the officer’s table in the cafeteria. It is where all those who wore the rounded dress hats and had many cords over their shoulder sat.
“Look, go as Aroe. He can give you an answer…”
“Look, I’m asking you…”
“Look, I’m not going to answer.” She started to collect her things; there was still a seat open at a desk across the room. “If your friend is curious about Aroe, then why doesn’t she ask him herself? He won’t bite you, you know.”
“And,” Someone broke in. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to answer the question.”
Emeredae swirled in her chair read to cut down the one who had dared interrupt her conversation. However, once she saw who it was. The young man dressed in dark beige uniform, his front covered with colorful pins and at least three different colored cords on his shoulders. His posture was straight in his chair, though his head rested along his hand, gazing at her as if she were no one more than one of his many freshman cadets, one in particular who had not yet learned respect and rank. The tone of his voice had been calm, but lurking behind it was one that could become a raging bull if needed. At first she didn’t know what to say, yet when it came to her she blurted, “This is none of your business.”
He only smiled a knowing smirk which Emeredae wished she could have slapped off his face. “That might have been so, but you were talking so loud that I thought you wanted everyone included.”
“Well, I don’t, so why don’t you shut your hat in your mouth and shove off.” Inwardly Emeredae gasped, for this was the second time she found herself acting out of character.
His hair had fallen into his face; from the way his head was tilted shadowing over one eye. The other eye clear to see and its emerald gaze rested on Emeredae. “Is that so?”
“It is,” She retuned his smile, at this he sat up in his chair, moving the loose strands away from his face.
“Well, I rather not have to listen to you any much longer either so why don’t just answer the question.”
“I really don’t have time for this.” Putting the last pencil in her bag, Emeredae rose and proceeded to stroll across the room. The two girls and the guy just stared after her. It was true that this sort of behavior they were not accustomed to.
“Cieare, did you see her. My, what a bitc…”
“Inga, your language,” The boy reprimanded her; “One more demerit and you will be stay after school, cleaning the uniforms. I don’t think you want to do that.”
“No, but why couldn’t’ she just answer the question?”
“I don’t know, but she seems too much shrew to be suited to anyone’s taste, let alone Kisonde.”
Inga laughed, smiling sweetly at him. “Cieare, you are just being nice. Out of uniform you wouldn’t have said that.” She purposely gazed across the classroom where Emeredae had taken a seat.
“Actually, I wouldn’t. Anyhow…” He finished just in time as the late bell rang and the teacher, Ms. Adela, stood ready to pass out a thick stack of paper. She stood at the front of her class, observing her students carefully, sizing them up for her master plan. With a single finger she pushed her glasses high on the rim of her nose and then adjusted her skirt and shirt and stretched across her plump body. The plumpness was from having seven children in the last five years, but before there was still evidence curvaceous body she had owned once before.
“Good Afternoon class, and welcome to Home Economics. My name is Mrs. Adela and I will be here as your instructor and to answer any questions you might have. You may either call me Mrs. Adela or Miss A. I have a packet here for you that I would you like to put your name on, and then open to first page and fill out the questionnaire. Once you are done, place it on my desk in the front here and you are free to go. Class will not start until tomorrow, once I have been able to match you up.” A sly smile came over her plump face, eyes wrinkling behind her glasses. “I know that this will be the last and first time that I will see you due to schedule changes, fill this out anyhow.” With a pause she started to hand out the packets, at least an eight of an inch thick. “Also, I want you to grab a textbook and sign it out for the semester. They are in a stack right here beside the door. I trust that this will not be a difficult task for you to handle, and tonight read look over the first chapter. We will be having a quiz over it tomorrow.”
